An entertaining book about a young woman's effort at a backyard urban farm in the ghetto of Oakland. She also tells of a bevy of quirky and very diverAn entertaining book about a young woman's effort at a backyard urban farm in the ghetto of Oakland. She also tells of a bevy of quirky and very diverse neighbors (one homeless, homed, different nationalities & ideologies) that nonetheless form a community. Interesting literary references and details about the more difficult & gory aspects of farming....more

This is decently written humorous chick lit with some delicious descriptions of Chinese food. The Chinese American protagonist loses her boyfriend, anThis is decently written humorous chick lit with some delicious descriptions of Chinese food. The Chinese American protagonist loses her boyfriend, and then her publishing job amidst scandal. She decides to make a fresh start in Beijing, despite only knowing "kitchen Chinese" learned around food and the kitchen rather than possessing true fluency. The major appeals of the book are the humorous romantic encounters, descriptions of life in Beijing, mouth watering menus, and insight into the displaced feelings of a 1st gen American emigrating to a country where she blends in physically but not culturally. ...more

An enjoyable cooking memoir/narrative nonfiction mix. The author, a 25-year-old living in NYC, decides to quit eating out at restaurants and to blog aAn enjoyable cooking memoir/narrative nonfiction mix. The author, a 25-year-old living in NYC, decides to quit eating out at restaurants and to blog about the effort. Her blog, www.noteatingoutinny.com, is evidently quite popular. She already knows how to cook quite well, so instead of a "I learned to cook" book, it's more a discourse on the social issues & history involved in eating out at restaurants, and then an exploration of the food movements current among twenty-somethings (and older), such as freeganism, foraging, supper clubs, and cook-offs. She also cooks for her boyfriend and a cadre of friends and narrates her bold improvisational cooking techniques, her new recipe inspirations, and her social experiences centered around food. There's an authentic international flavor to her recipes, too, influenced by her half Chinese heritage. An interesting book! I'll have to follow her blog now....more

Reminiscent of Alice Hoffman's type of magical realism books. This one didn't draw me in quite as much as the author's previous Garden Spells, but it'Reminiscent of Alice Hoffman's type of magical realism books. This one didn't draw me in quite as much as the author's previous Garden Spells, but it's a sweet, appealing book with magical overtones and romantic elements. After her mother dies, 17-yr-old Emma moves to Mullaby, N.C., to live with her grandfather. She doesn't know anything about the town or her 8 foot tall gentle giant of a grandfather, but it turns out that her grandfather is not the oddest thing in the small historic town. Emma's wallpaper changes patterns according to her mood, white lights mysteriously dance in the backyard, a cute boy expresses interest in Emma but seems to have a secret his family doesn't want him revealing (especially to Emma), and the whole town seems to know something dark about her selfless activist mother's past that they hold against Emma. ...more

To continue my travel memoir kick. . . this was a pleasing memoir with a lovely literary style of writing and wonderful descriptions of food and cookiTo continue my travel memoir kick. . . this was a pleasing memoir with a lovely literary style of writing and wonderful descriptions of food and cooking. Good for foodies. The author is an American chef and writer who while staying in Venice meets a "blueberry eyed" Venetian man who looks like Peter Sellers and who falls in love with her at first sight. She falls in love with him too, and moves to live in Venice with him, in a decidedly unromantic apartment that she redecorates & then they remodel together. This book hit most of my happy notes: lush Italian cooking & drink descriptions (and American actually), beautiful descriptions of foreign places and people, with some history thrown in (but not a huge amount), a romantic story but also realistic one about adjusting to married life with a near stranger, and descriptions of house and apartment remodeling done by a woman with style and a real sense of what the Germans call "gemütlich" (comfortable, cozy, homy).I have her next book, "A Thousand Days in Tuscany", on hold now at the library. Yay....more

Phew, finally got through this. I skim read parts. I know lots more about bread baking technique now as well as how to build a mud oven, the relationsPhew, finally got through this. I skim read parts. I know lots more about bread baking technique now as well as how to build a mud oven, the relationship between bread & corn & pellagra in the south in the early part of the 20th century, and the unexpected ways staying in a monastery can affect you. But I conclude that the author is rather obsessive compulsive and a little bit too crazy for my reading taste though he does seem like he might be charming in person. The effort he took in baking a loaf a week and trying many different techniques, traveling and taking bread baking classes, breaking two ovens and growing his own wheat then milling it himself with an old Indian millstone. . . seemed an overly belabored conceit for a book to me. Or an over the top obsession. ...more

Not sure what to say about this novel. It features young Rose, who when eight discovers that she can taste the emotions of the people who made her fooNot sure what to say about this novel. It features young Rose, who when eight discovers that she can taste the emotions of the people who made her food. Such as the unhappy lost feelings of her mother's lemon cake - this "gift" turns out to be a heavy load to bear. It was a sort of slow, puzzling, sad book about a not very happy family. Yet lovely in spots. Left me thoughtful, trying to puzzle out the deeper meanings of some of the events and passages.Hmmm. 3 stars? 2 1/2? Not sure....more

This was great! It was a very enjoyable mix of family, food, and magical realism fiction, with a very appealing narrator. I'd recommend it to book cluThis was great! It was a very enjoyable mix of family, food, and magical realism fiction, with a very appealing narrator. I'd recommend it to book clubs, people who enjoy fiction featuring cooking and food, and fans of Alice Hoffman or Sarah Addison Allen. Ginny is a very shy young woman with Aspergers, though she doesn't know it. She copes with stimulation overload by cooking or imagining cooking, with all its evocative tastes and smells and textures. Recipes are included. She is an excellent chef, though not formally schooled. She and her sister Amanda have just lost their parents in an accident. Amanda, who lives with her husband and small kids, wants to sell the house, while Ginny doesn't want any changes. Ginny finds that her cooking can draw up family members' ghosts, who seem to be warning her about something. What she learns about her family history, her personal growth, and the sisters' relationship is the crux of the novel's plot. The book comes out in April 2011; I read an advance reader's copy courtesy of Bookbrowse....more

This one's definitely on my to-buy list, as a print book. Perfect for summer especially; make your beverage after hitting the farmers market for the fThis one's definitely on my to-buy list, as a print book. Perfect for summer especially; make your beverage after hitting the farmers market for the freshest fruit or other ingredients. From the colorful, slightly retro fun illustrations and photos to the wildly varied recipes, it's very enticing. The book begins with the highlights of the history of carbonation and soda and the history bits mixed in are pretty interesting. Then it covers three kinds of soda making: 1.) make your syrup with your fruits, herbs, honey or sugar etc., and simply combine the syrup with a bottle of store-bought seltzer water; 2.) do the same but use a carbonation charger such as Sodastream; 3.) or ferment your own beverage (the most complicated).

Poignant + pie + Portland setting in part - the book hit the trifecta for me. I quite enjoyed it, even though I don't usually read memoirs and I don'tPoignant + pie + Portland setting in part - the book hit the trifecta for me. I quite enjoyed it, even though I don't usually read memoirs and I don't really bake. I do however love pie and appreciate good writing. The author's German husband dies unexpectedly & relatively young while they are in the process of a divorce - but they still love each other, and it rocks her world. The book is basically a memoir about how she gets over her grief with the help of good friends and a journey in an RV sharing, giving away pie, and meeting other pie bakers across the country. She used to live with her husband in Portland (among other places, she's quite a traveler) and returns there in this book for a period of time - now I must visit the Pacific Pie Company she mentions. :) She comes across as a very appealing person in her writing, I could totally sit down and chat and share a pie with her I think. You can read the first page or two of the book at her site: http://bethmhoward.com/books/pie-memoir/....more

Basically a scrapbook of this woman's summers in France in an old farmhouse she remodeled. She's apparently an interior decorator and textile designerBasically a scrapbook of this woman's summers in France in an old farmhouse she remodeled. She's apparently an interior decorator and textile designer and is not the same person as the model turned designer Kathy Ireland, as far as I can tell. Anyway pretty photos and brief text that amused me on my deck while I pretended I too have a Provence farmhouse and the time to spend summers there with loads of friends, cooking and drinking and riding ponie in sunflower fields on my way to buy fancy cheese at the weekly market in a charming French town. The book is basically like drinking a mojito. Not really actual helpful tips for interior design, the text gets a bit "lives of the wealthy" & precious at times, the recipe chapter for casual fresh French farm food was actually inspiring, and the photos were fun....more

Pretty good historical novel following several characters associated with the cunning, charismatic, and sometimes sinister members of the Borgia familPretty good historical novel following several characters associated with the cunning, charismatic, and sometimes sinister members of the Borgia family around the 1500s in Rome. A female chef on the run from her family and an undisclosed offense committed in Venice; a man with dwarfism and a knifelike tongue, even to his friends, who seeks to find the psychopathic murderer of a tavern girl friend; and a beautiful young woman who is being forced into being the mistress of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia. It's layered and emotionally engaging and an easy read as well, with some romantic aspects, though without illusions about the realities of life and hypocrisies of the time. I expect there will be a sequel....more

An enjoyable, light novel for foodies and fans of contemporary fiction from the food critic author of bestselling memoirs "Tender at the Bone" and "GaAn enjoyable, light novel for foodies and fans of contemporary fiction from the food critic author of bestselling memoirs "Tender at the Bone" and "Garlic and Sapphires". In this, Reichl's first novel, a shy young woman with an extraordinary sense for spices and cooking moves to New York and finds a job as an editorial assistant at a famous (and eccentrically staffed) cooking magazine, Delicious!. An experience in her past prohibits her from cooking, but as she is introduced to the New York food scene in Reichl's sparkling food prose, she gains in courage and makes connections with new friends. I suspect it will be a crowd pleaser, given the plot features WWII, hidden letters between a young girl and James Beard, delicious cooking, overcoming adversity, and because it's an overall uncomplicated fast read. It isn't deep, but it's fun....more

Started off a bit clunky, but warmed up into a pleasant, light read about a Texan woman who moves to Manhattan and reconnects with sisters and her magStarted off a bit clunky, but warmed up into a pleasant, light read about a Texan woman who moves to Manhattan and reconnects with sisters and her magical realism style cooking talents. Strong romantic element. ...more